Policing yob culture

Why are yobs in the news? This issue really kicked off two weeks ago, when Uefa - the governing body for football in Europe - made a stand against English hooliganism at Euro 2000. After a Saturday of alcohol-fuelled trouble in Brussels and Charleroi, Uefa warned that any repeat would see England kicked out of the tournament. Amid the ensuing hysteria, many commentators began to point out that the problem wasn't specific to football - and the Home Office saw its chance to get tough.

Why? Because crime is rising. Regardless of whether yob culture is responsible, Jack Straw is expecting the annual recorded crime figures to show a rise in violent crime of up to 19%, and a rise in all crime of 3.8%. Against such a background, he has to be seen to be acting now, or see shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe gain the upper ground on law and order.

So what is the government doing? In the past week, the government has been putting its feelers out over three key law enforcement measures. First, home secretary Jack Straw has said he wants to see greater use of his zero-tolerance "anti-social behaviour orders" - by which courts can threaten to jail those who are persistently disorderly but not convicted of specific crime. Second, the Home Office said it wants to give courts powers to shut down the so-called "thug pubs" which become hotspots for violence in city centres. Third and most controversially, prime minister Tony Blair advocated allowing police the power to levy on-the-spot fines for "drunken, noisy, loutish and antisocial behaviour" - saying "if the police want that power they should get that power." He will find out whether they do at a summit at Downing Street today, attended by the chief constables of England and Wales.

Will they support him? They are decidedly sceptical, but don't want to be seen as undermining the law and order effort. On the record, one chief constable talked of "considerable practical and legal problems" with Blair's on-the-spot fine idea. But off it, many newspapers carry quotes from unnamed "senior officers" said to be unhappy at the politicisation of the crime agenda, the "initiative overload" and, of course, the lack of resources.

So what does the future hold? Whatever happens, it's got little to do with the yobs. Mr Blair is said to be considering the radical reform of the police service as a project for his second term - an initiative aimed at improving efficiency, management and the way officers respond to the public. If the precedents of health and education reforms are anything to go by, we should sit tight and wait for the backlash.